


My Ethereal Lover

by HEADSHROOMS



Category: My Chemical Romance
Genre: Bottom Gerard Way, Cute, F/M, M/M, Prince Gerard Way, Rare Pairings, Romance, Royalty, Top Ray, knight ray toro
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-05
Updated: 2021-02-11
Packaged: 2021-03-16 03:34:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,407
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28575351
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HEADSHROOMS/pseuds/HEADSHROOMS
Summary: Gerard Way is just a prince longing to be loved for who he is, and Ray Toro is the perfect knight in shining armour to be welcomed into Gerard's life.(description will be changed when more is written :p)
Relationships: Frank Iero & Gerard Way, Frank Iero/Jamia Nestor, Ray Toro/Gerard Way
Comments: 4
Kudos: 17





	1. One

**Author's Note:**

> hi underrated ship asf

  
Gerard Way suffocates in the pressure; it leaves him up in the early hours of the morning, stressing and panicking about missed opportunities and the fear of messing up. Because if he messes up a single thing, it is public, and it is known by all. He has the pressure of the whole kingdom's eyes on him.

He tries his best, as their eldest prince, to always do the right thing and represent their kingdom the way that a prince must. He keeps his posture right and his manners up to standard. He's not reckless enough to act out in any way. He's honest, always presenting his personality the way it always is, as he feels a prince who is faking his life should not be a prince at all; he would be a fraud.

He's grateful for what he has - he understands that not everybody gets the luxury that his position holds. He has it better than most. Far better, you could say. There were lives lived in poverty and slavery. He wished he could help everybody, but he only had so little time, and he had a _reputation_ to keep up for his family, Desperately, he wanted to break through that barrier and help everybody, but he couldn't.

That's not to say he didn't have secrets. He had quite a few secrets. Most of what he hid from the people around him were hobbies and talents, such as drawing, painting, and even poetry and story writing.

His deepest secrets, though, were the crippling anxiety and miserable thoughts he dealt every night.

And the most scandalous of the secrets he kept was that, in the words of society, he was a _sodomite._

Gerard was not quite the type of guy to look at a woman and stare at her breasts or her behind, he would avoid eye contact at all costs as he would get quite uncomfortable. He was scared, even. He could appreciate a woman's natural beauty, but he could not see any woman as the perfect suitor.

He wasn't a ladies man, he was a _sodomite,_ interested in men and only men.

You couldn't mention the word around him, though. He'd only get upset and hide away. Sodomy was a crime. He felt he shouldn't be called a _sodomite_ , he felt as though what he was was something natural rather than criminal. Having known for many years, he'd had a lot of time to think about it.

And a lot of time to pray and beg for change. But that change never happened, and it led him to believe maybe he was natural. Maybe that was just how he was meant to be and that it was something that shouldn't be punishable.

He wasn't particularly interested in the sexual aspect, although the thought of being pinned down and made love to by a man could... _get his mind going places it shouldn't, and get his hand going places it shouldn't_ , the romantic aspect was what he was more interested in.

He particularly enjoyed daydreaming about handsome men. Whether it was a happy marriage, or a happy life in a cottage far from civilisation, or just being held tight and sharing a bed, or the loving eye contact he always saw his mother and father make, he would zone out and think about it for ages. He could possibly just live in that fantasy in his head for years. All he wanted was true love.

"My boy, what's wrong with you? What doesn't entertain you about the thought of a busty woman?"

His best companion, Prince Frank Iero III, was the total opposite. He was crazy obsessed with women.

"I, I don't know," Gerard mumbled, picking at the pale, dry skin around his nails. He had soft skin, but it was the skin around his nails in particular that was dry, from.. activities he did by himself at night.

Frank was busy using his hands to recreate the body shape of the woman he had his own eyes on. He was quite into her. As he managed to show Gerard, he grinned and poked his elbow. "Come on, how could you not? I wouldn't even take offence if you liked her too, you know? Because I'd _understand_."

Gerard refrained from releasing the sigh built up in his chest, looking at Frank with some sort of shyness. "She's a beautiful lady, but I'm just not ready for anything like that."

"When will you stop saying that?" Frank retorted, playfully swiping the back of his head. "During tomorrow night's ball, I'm going to make a move. I've got to. Or else I'll never get this chance again."

Gerard gave a small smile, glad to see his friend so joyful and hopeful. He wished he could feel that way about somebody, but there was nobody in his life.

Well, in the past, it's not to say he didn't want to know how it would feel to taste the lips of the man standing right in front of him. He moved past that little phase, luckily.

"I hope it goes well for you, Frankie," he offered, messing with the ends of his hair. His hair was ebony black, and it fell just below his shoulders, framing his face wonderfully. "I don't see how it couldn't. It would take a lot of effort for any woman to not fall for your charm."

Frank grinned, chuckling softly before patting Gerard on the head. "Well, I could say the same for you but you choose not to acknowledge it."

Gerard shrugged pathetically, wishing he could truly speak his mind, but he had no clue how Frank would ever react to anything like that, despite how close of friends they were.

"I have archery at noon, so I shall say goodbye for now," Frank said with a kind smile, standing up and dusting off his pants. "I'll see you tomorrow at the ball, where I'll be looking my handsomest."

Gerard gave a small laugh, standing up and pulling his coat on, as the cool outside air blew in from his open bedroom window. "See you then, Frankie."

Frank jokingly blew a kiss as he made his exit through the doorway, the gentle click of the door closing leaving Gerard alone with his thoughts.

Gerard was often left alone with his thoughts. He was the older of the two, and the quieter of the two. Maybe they got along so well just through that. He was a quiet listener ad Frank was the loud, very eccentric one. Frank was girl crazy and Gerard... he was boy crazy. But nobody knew.

He locked his bedroom door so nobody could unexpectedly enter, and he sat down in his window seat.

Time to ogle the knights who were training. His window seat had a great view. From his bedroom up high in the palace, he could watch the knights training. It was just a lot of physical activity, like working out and various games of competitive sports or fighting to keep them fit and practised for any invasion that may occur.

Gerard just loved to watch and get lost in the story in his head.

  



	2. Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> frank is me

  
  
Gerard's obsession with watching the knights got a little out of hand sometimes. He could really sit there for hours just watching those men.

And there was a royal ball in just a few hours, so Gerard needed a bath - the perfect time to _let off some steam_ after watching them work out.

He truly wished it was a normal thing to be attracted to people of the same sex, but unfortunately it wasn't and it was just something he needed to keep hidden.

After having some self pleasure time - which was very important to Gerard - he washed his hair and body. He made sure to take his time doing so, so that his hair would be silky and shiny and knotless, and his skin would feel soft and smooth, and he would smell like flowers.

Many said that the smells he liked, the smells he used on his body, were too girly for a prince, but he would counter by asking how a smell could have a sex. Everyone usually backed down after that. Prince Gerard never got upset, at least not in front of anybody else, and so they didn't want to make him upset.

Once he stepped out of the bath, he grabbed a plush white towel and dried his body of the water trickling down. After he had dried off a bit, and he was no longer dripping wet, he wrapped the towel around his body and put on his shirt. It was made of linen and had a ruffled collar. Shortly after putting on his shirt, a servant came into the room to help him. He buttoned up his collar and pulled up his white stockings, then put on his breeches, which were tan in colour and matched his waistcoat, which he put on next.

A servant then grabbed a ribbon, the colour red like wine. He didn't particularly enjoy his hair being tied back, but it would look nice and he had to present well for the ball, so he let the servant tie his hair back, some strands left out in the front to curl around his face. Meanwhile, he picked out a buckle for his shoes. Gold, as it would match with his outfit and it was for a special occasion. Any other day, he would've worn steel buckles.

He took a seat while the servant put his shoes on for him, and he pulled on some white hand gloves. They were soft, and he liked the way they covered his dainty hands. They hid the dry finger problem. He wore gloves whenever he could. After his shoes were on, he was given his coat and he put it on, smiling slightly as he looked into the mirror. His coat was black, with gold lace and red trim. He really liked the way that it looked on him, as it was fitted well to his body by the tailors. A golden crown was placed atop his hair delicately, that being the most important part of the princely look. After messing with his hair enough so that it didn't look too well put together but the servant wouldn't get annoyed and redo it for him, he was ready to head to the ball.

He would probably just laugh and kid around with Frank at the buffet the entire time. That's what they had done at every ball from childhood, to adolescence, to now, adulthood.

Gerard barely considered them to be adults anyway. Nineteen was technically still a teenager, but then again, eighteen was considered to be the age you become an adult.

As he approached the doorway to the ballroom, hearing that the ball had already begun, a servant opened the door for him and he thanked him before entering. He was quite shy, and didn't appreciate grand entrances, he much preferred to enter on his own rather than having his name announced like his parents and brother. He sneaked in before them and met up with Frank, who was devouring a cupcake at the buffet.

"Good evening," Gerard greeted, catching Frank by surprise. He had a mouth full of the dessert, and made a bit of a freaked out 'aah!' sound before swallowing.

"Evening!" Frank chirped, grabbing Gerard by the shoulders, pulling him in close and as he raised his fist for an aggressive rub on the head, Gerard raised his hands and tried to get out of it.

"Hey, hey. hey, mother's not going to be happy with me if you ruin my hair as soon as I enter!" He managed to get out of Frank's grip, letting out a deep breath. "Are you drunk right now?"

"Maybe a little intoxicated, yes, but I'm not _drunk_ ," Frank snorted, opting to pat Gerard on the head instead and shake his hand. "You look dashing my dear."

"Thanks," Gerard mumbled. "I thought you said you were gonna try to look handsome for what's-her-name."

"I do look handsome thank you very much," Frank said, his tone showing slight offence, his eyebrows raised. "That's the point. I don't even have to _try_ to be handsome. I just am."

"I'm guessing you did look nice, but then you got drunk and went for a run around the place."

"I did go for a run, but- hey, that was earlier. Do you have a comb?" He asked.

Gerard sighed a little and shook his head. "No, and I think you messing with it would only mess it up further. Let me do it."

"Your assistance is not needed," Frank said matter-of-factly, "I can do it."

Gerard sighed yet again and grabbed a small cookie, looking at Frank. "Are you s-"

"Look! Looooook!" Frank slurred, pointing over to a young lady. "Look at her!"

Gerard looked over and frowned a bit. "Is that h-"

"Nah, someone else," Frank said, making a bit of a _rude_ gesture with his hands. They were at his chest, like, erm- breasts. "But! _L o o k_. Boobs!"

Gerard frowned deeper, not looking out of closeted fear. "Frank, she could see you. Stop it."

"You're no fun," Frank said with a snort, grabbing yet another cupcake. "These are _so_ good Gee, you've got to try."

"Maybe after my cookie," Gerard said, taking his second bite. Frank squealed and pointed elsewhere, and when Gerard looked over, the woman he was pointing at fit the description Frank had provided him with perfectly. It was Jamia.

"Look at her! She's gorgeous," Frank whispered in giddiness. Gerard quickly smoothed out Frank's hair with his gloved fingers, wiping a crumb off of his cheek. He could be a bit brotherly to Frank sometimes. They were best friends, so close they were like brothers. Just two peas in a pod.

"Are you gonna finish that cupcake first or just go?" Gerard asked, and the answer he was met with was just Frank plopping the cupcake in his hands.

"You have it, I need to go speak with her. And dance. Try not to get too lonely without me, pal." Frank chuckled, patting Gerard on the shoulder.

Gerard bit his lip and watched Frank confidently stride over towards the woman, probably greeting her with a compliment, as Gerard saw her face go bright red. At least she didn't slap him. Last time Frank had his eyes on somebody he was a bit overbearing and got slapped across the face. He must have learnt from that mistake as now it was going perfectly.

"Geeeeeeeeeeee."

Gerard knew that annoying whine anywhere. He even heard it in his worst nightmares occasionally.

"Yes, Mikey?" He sighed, turning around to look at the teen.

"Balls are boring."

 _Well, depends what kind you're talking about_.

"I know," Gerard replied. He bit his lip. "There's other people here that are your age, y'know. You don't have to stand here and be bored by me."

Mikey pouted slightly, looking up at his older brother. "You're not boring, Gerard, I like talking to you."

Gerard just shrugged slightly. "Just thought maybe you might enjoy someone your age more, I'm not the most amusing person."

"Well, you seem to amuse Frank a lot. I could hear him laughing at something you said from yards away."

Gerard went red at the statement, brushing some hair behind his ear. "Yeah, well," he mumbled, a bit nervous. "Maybe that's just Frankie because nobody else ever laughs at my jokes."

Mikey shrugged and eyed the cupcake in Gerard's hand. "Can I have that?"

"Sure," Gerard said, giving it to him. He took another nibble at his cookie. "Do you have your eyes on anyone in particular, brother?"

"Not really," Mikey said. "There's _some_ pretty girls here though.."

"Then go talk to them!" Gerard encouraged.

"Why don't you?" Mikey asked, which made Gerard shift his gaze to the ground.

"Because I'm really not ready for that kind of thing yet, Mikes. Love doesn't interest me."

Saying love doesn't interest you is the hardest thing that a hopeless romantic can say. It even _hurt_ him to say it.

"Suit yourself," Mikey mumbled. "Well maybe I will go talk to someone... at least find a friend."

"Yeah!" Gerard smiled slightly, patting Mikey's shoulder. "Go on, find a friend."

Mikey rolled his eyes and took a bite of the cupcake, walking away to go speak to someone who was at least his age.

Gerard was bored, lonely, and out of place. He just didn't feel like he belonged... not while he was in the closet at least. But even then, it would be hard if people knew... he'd have to run away just to stay alive.

He wished he could speak to someone who wasn't royalty. Someone who wasn't the default. Someone interesting and kind and like him.

To get some fresh air, Gerard went towards the back door, and when nobody was looking he slipped out the door as quietly as a mouse, sighing as the cool air hit his face. He looked up at the moon, which was partly hidden by the clouds in the night sky. He reached behind his head and pulled on his ribbon until his hair came out and down to his shoulders again. Holding onto the red ribbon, he walked up to the fountain and took a seat on the edge, looking up at the stars in the sky. The moon illuminated his pale skin, making him glow somewhat like an angel. He didn't know how beautiful he really was.

He wanted to seek more in life, but how could he ever do that when he had to keep the most important parts of himself hidden? His hobbies, talents, love life...

Keeping that all hidden was hell for him, especially when he saw other people get to show it all off excitedly.

Gerard pulled off one of his gloves, just fiddling with the rich fabric for a second. The cold didn't bother him, he preferred it - the painful, ticklish goosebumps littering his now exposed hand. He took off his small crown, observing the gold it was made of. He looked at the red jewels, running his fingertip over the material that many would love to get their hands on.

He felt as though, although he tried his hardest, he didn't deserve the crown.

"Your highness, what are you doing out here?" A voice asked. Gerard looked up, startled. He hated getting caught. "Shouldn't you be in the ballroom with your kingdom?"

A knight, judging by the armour he wore, walked up to Gerard. He had long, tight curls of hair. He had a familiar look to him, though who wouldn't recognise someone with that hair?

"I felt ill and needed to catch a break," Gerard replied. "Alone."

"Your highness, I apologise, but it's not safe for you to be out here by yourself at this time of night."

"Well then, perhaps you should stay here with me," Gerard said. He was not going inside no matter what, and he wanted someone new to speak to, and hey - this man walked right into it. "It's nicer out here."

"If you wish," the knight said immediately, still standing in front of him. "Though I must warn that you could, genuinely, fall ill if you stay out here for too long."

"I understand," he said. He now knew where he recognised him from. Of course. He watched him and his mates work out everyday. "What is your name?"

"Ray Toro, your highness."

"You can call me by my name. And I mean my name - not my title."

Ray merely shrugged. "I'm not supposed to."

"Well I said you can. Therefore, you can." Gerard had a bit of a bratty personality, but that was just how he grew up to be. At least he wasn't as big of a spoiled brat as his younger brother was.

"That's true," Ray said. He sat down next to Gerard, but not too close. "Sometimes I see you watching us train through your bedroom window. It's cute- comforting."

"Oh.. really?" Gerard asked. His entire face felt like it was on fire. He didn't think they _knew_.

"Yes," Ray said with a smile. "I think I may be the only one to notice. It's definitely comforting, in a way. I'm not so well liked amongst the others."

"Why's that?" Gerard questioned. "You seem a kind soul."

"Well, I'm not sure... I've never fit in." Ray was a bit mumbly around the topic, and he kept looking down at Gerard's feet.

So Gerard placed a hand on his shoulder. "Me neither. I've been forced to hide away my talents and interests so I could try to fit in better with others... I don't even have much in common with my best friend. At all."

"I relate. I had to quit playing music because not only did I not have enough free time, but others found it dumb. What do you hide?"

"Art," Gerard replied. "Drawing and painting and everything... also writing. I love poetry and story writing but they're not very _princely._ "

"I'm sorry about that, it must be hard to keep something you are proud of a secret. I would know..."

Gerard nodded. "It's very hard... it's an unfortunate thing. You could be the best musician in the world and nobody would ever know."

He swore Ray went a bit red at that.

"Well, you could be the best artist and nobody could ever know."

"Well after so many years, I would hope that I'm g-" Gerard was silenced by Ray holding up a finger, looking around.

"I heard something, but it was most likely an animal. But it's just reminded me that you really shouldn't stay out here much longer. I think you should go back inside."

Gerard frowned. "But I don't really want to... I feel like an outcast in there."

"I know, but you can't stay here longer."

Ray sensed by the way Gerard opened his mouth to argue he wasn't going to move, so he stood up and grabbed him under the armpits, lifting him easily. Although he thrashed around, Ray carried him to the door of the ballroom again.

"Can we be friends, though..?" Gerard asked. The sad tone made Ray's heart melt slightly.

"Of course. Maybe during the daytime if you come out here it will be easier to talk."

"Okay..." Gerard smiled a little and held the door handle tightly after putting his glove back on. "Well then expect me tomorrow. Goodnight."

"Goodnight."


	3. Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey baes

After the ball, Ray Toro was the only person on Gerard's mind. He consumed every empty space in the strange world of Gerard's thoughts. He was just such an interesting character, a kind one at that, and Gerard enjoyed the way that he was someone very new in his life.

Now, it was getting a little out of hand, to be absolutely honest, because Gerard was finding it hard to even concentrate on others. Like right now. He had no idea what Frank was really on about, he just knew that topic Frank was talking about was Jamia.

Gerard had other things to think about. They were sitting in Gerard's bay window, across from each other, and it was that special time of day when all the knights would gather up and train.

Gerard was watching a certain head of curly locks the whole time.

"She kept flirting back the whole time, Gee, it was awesome, and I got her address so now I can charm her with my awesome letter writing skills. Oh! And last night I almost got to touch her b- Gee? Gerard? Are you even listening?"

Gerard gave an absentminded nod, a tiny smile on his face as he kept looking down, out the window. Frank tried to see what he was looking at, and when he saw, he just rolled his eyes.

"Why're you so interested in them? You wanna be one or something? Because I really don't think you'd be a great knight, no offence, but you're kinda cowardly-"

"I um- I like watching their.. sport games."

Frank raised his eyebrows. "You? Sport? You _liking_ sport? Uh..."

Gerard only continued ignoring Frank and looking out the window, and he began to go red and smile in such a way it looked like he was trying to contain an excited giggle. Frank, confused, looked outside and saw someone tall and buff with curly hair making eye contact with Gerard.

Well, that's a little unusual...

Frank didn't want to think about anything like that though- maybe he was over exaggerating what was going on here. Maybe Gerard was just embarrassed of being caught watching or something.

It's not that he wouldn't be able to accept Gerard being anything other than straight. It's that Gerard was his best friend, and if he were anything other than straight, he could be burned at the stake. Literally, he could receive death penalty, and it was for something so out of his control...

Frank couldn't bear the thought of his best friend being killed for something out of his control.

"So how'd you enjoy the ball without me last night?"

...

Frank left when the knights' training was over. Gerard saw that as the perfect chance to pretty himself up and go to the fountain.

He made sure his hair looked nice and his clothes weren't all messed up and wrinkled. He decided to grab his small sketchpad, thinking maybe it would be nice to show Ray some of his art.

He excitedly ran down the marble stairs, almost slipping a couple of times as he reached the foyer and ran to the door. He hadn't been this excited for something in so long. Mikey had been in the sitting room, which had an open doorway into the foyer, so all he saw was Gerard speeding past and outside. The sight was so hilarious and confusing it made him burst out laughing.

Gerard slammed open the doors and ran down towards the fountain, smiling as he spotted Ray. He stood out like a parrot among ravens, with hair like that he was easily spotted.

Gerard wasn't the kind to run very often, so he was panting, completely out of breath, though it was worth it when he was standing in front of Ray, looking up at him.

"Hi."

"How's your day going, princey?"


End file.
